Stage set for Hollywood's big box office clash

In what’s shaping up to be the biggest weekend for Hollywood at the box office after many months, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie are set to engage in a theatrical clash, generating immense excitement not only for the viewers in their home market but also among Indian fans.

- Lata Jha

Nolan’s devoted fan base and the movie’s positioning as a big-screen spectacle shot on IMAX are helping the epic Robert Oppenheimer biographical thriller dominate advance ticket sales in India. Theatres in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi have scheduled IMAX screenings as early as 12 am and 3.30 am on Friday morning.

“These tent-pole films are coming from celebrated filmmakers and the advances have been impressive for both, although Oppenheimer is leading for now," Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director of PVR Inox Ltd, said. It has already secured 25% of all advances for Oppenheimer and 20% for Barbie for the opening weekend.